Delicate Beauty (Mateo love story)

Chapter Five *Edited*

"Gelica, darling? Come, let's go have a chat and a drink" his voice was softer but held something that Mateo couldn't make out.

His eyes fall on Angelica who now turns to the strange man, her tears no longer falling as she takes a hold of Mateos hand "I can't, Mateo promised to show me the sights of Benidorm" her voice is strong, knowing that he wouldn't make any move to hurt her with someone present.

He smirks darkly once more nodding "maybe another time then? See you around... Mat."

Mateo glares at him "Mateo. My name is Mateo." his voice is filled with venom as he glares back at the stranger, daring him to make a move. His arm wraps around Angelica as he leads her towards the Solana, her body trembles as they pass by the man.

Mateo leads Angelica silently to the pool; he smiles softly at her hand that is still interlaced with his. She stops before silently taking a seat on the side on the pool, her heels being taken off in the process so she could dip her feet in the water. She sighs softly and shakes her head, the nights events plaguing her already confused brain. Mateo sits beside her, also placing his feet in the water, the moonlight above them reflecting off the water, it was beautiful and peaceful, something Angelica was in dire need of.

"Are you okay?"

He frowns at her as she wipes away at her red cheeks, glad that she hadn't opted for the mascara that wasn't waterproof. She shakes her head and releases a shaky breath, "I don't know, it all kind of raw right now." She glances to her rescuer with a small tight smile, "Thank you, for helping me escape."

He returns the smile "what has happened?"

Her smile falters as she once again drops her head to stare at the water, "if I tell you the truth do you promise not to tell anyone, not even my brother or father?" she asks.

Mateo looks to her in confusion, his mind wondering why she was concerned about them finding out. He nods as he takes a hold of her hand "of course" a sad smile creeps on her face as her heart skips a beat, he really could be sweet.

"That man who was chasing me was my ex, Darren." her voice falters once more at the mention of his name, "he came to Benidorm to find me, I had no idea he was my date, or how he even found out I was here." her eyebrows furrow as Mateo listens intently. "We dated for three years; it was great to start with but then I found out he was cheating with a mutual friend. My whole world fell apart, and the worst part is that he didn't seem to care," a tear falls down her reddened cheeks as she glances to Mateo, not sure if he was still listening.

He squeezes her hand reassuringly and nods for her to continue, "when I confronted him, he denied it and called me paranoid. He locked me away in our apartment for three months and beat me daily, he said I deserved it for accusing him and disrespecting him in the way I did." she draws a shaky breath before continuing. "I finally got away, taking everything, I owned with me. I lay low until I could get a flight here, my family know nothing. I didn't want to add stress to them, my dad had enough problems with his tax and Liam doesn't deserve to have to worry about me."

She sighs, "I thought I'd gotten away but obviously I underestimated him, he wants to take me back with him. I'm so afraid he'll get what he wants." she sobs, allowing her emotions to surface. She was allowing herself to be vulnerable around Mateo.

Mateo smiles sadly and tilts her head to look at him, "he will not have you. He doesn't deserve you; you are beautiful and kind. I will protect you" his eyes glimmer in the moonlight making his words all the more charming, something Angelica found herself liking about him. She smiles as she leans in and kisses the edge of his lips, their faces were inches apart.

"Why do you care so much?" her voice is as low as a whisper causing Mateo to grin.

"You're my Angelica, you deserve to be treated right, I am here to do that" her smile widens at his words, she couldn't understand why he cared so much but she appreciated it. Her stomach was doing flips at the sound of him calling her his Angelica, she still wasn't ready for anything romantic, but in this moment, she could deny the feeling of comfort she felt, she liked Mateo, a lot. He was everything she could want, but part of her was cautious, she knew he had a reputation with the ladies so how could she not be a little careful.

She sighs, feeling as though a weight had been lifted, finally talking about her problems made her feel so much better. She rests her head on his shoulder as a huge smile rests on her features, "My Angelica, has a nice ring to it as you say" Mateo smirks feeling her smile widen, his head rests upon hers as a smile appears on his face. He would protect her, no one deserved to be hurt like that, especially not her.

Game on Darren, game on.